Moving On After Cancer Prevention Surgery
- Country singer-songwriter Morgan Wade, 30, is maintaining her physical fitness and working on her pull-up goals just one year after undergoing a preventative double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery.
- Wade decided to undergo surgery after learning she had the RAD51D gene mutation, which significantly increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.
- Mutations in the BRCA genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) also significantly increase a woman’s breast cancer risk.
- Patients who learn they have these mutations sometimes choose to get a preventative (or prophylactic) mastectomy, like Wade did, which is a procedure that removes breast tissue to prevent cancer from developing in the future.
Wade shared footage of herself doing multiple pull-ups with ease in various gym settings. She’s come a long way in the past year, when she announced that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy (removal of both breasts) and breast reconstruction surgery. The “Psychopath” singer decided to get both her breasts removed after learning she had a RAD51D gene mutation, which increases her risk of breast cancer.
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She continued, “I have people tell me all the time they can’t do a pull up and wish they could. That’s not true – you totally can. I’m not better than anyone else I’m just working really hard and not stopping.
“This is your sign to go crush whatever is scaring you. Don’t let anything defeat you. #rad51d #previvor.”
Her post prompted praise from fans, with one writing in the comments, “Omg! GOALS @morganwademusic I’ve wanted to master this so badly, but I have let my doubts over take me.”
Another fan wrote, “Awesome very true Will Power makes things happen, [peace] and [love] @morganwademusic.”
Wade’s inspirational workout video came just days before the country star and dog mom turned 30, something she also took to social media to commemorate.
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Alongside a photo of her side profile, shared on Dec. 10, Wade wrote, “30. Feels weird to say that. I am super blessed.
“Very grateful for all God has provided me. Thanks for all the birthday wishes and the love .”
In an effort to answer some questions she’s been asked in the wake of her surgery, Wade explained she did get breast implants, she does not have nipples, and although she’s had to “adjust” to her new body, she was “0 regrets,” insisting everything she’s done was “worth it.”
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Speaking to People in an earlier interview, Wade also spoke about how satisfied she was with her decision to undergo the procedure.
“I would rather have done all this and never know if I was going to get breast cancer or not,” she told the celebrity news outlet. “I would’ve rather done this and have that peace of mind.”
She added, “Life is short, life is precious, and I’m grateful for the advances with science that we have the knowledge to be able to go and take care of these things.”
Expert Resources On Exercise
- Exercise and ‘Chemo Brain’: Can Physical Activity Save Breast Cancer Patients from Brain Fog During Chemotherapy?
- Major Reduction in Cancer Risk by Following Old Standbys Diet and Exercise
- Mental Health: A Guided Breathing Exercise to Help Manage Anxiety
- New Hard Evidence That Exercise Measurably Reduces Anxiety– 150 Minutes Per Week Makes The Difference
- Try This Simple, Guided Grounding Exercise to Help Manage Anxiety
- Zero Booze is Best For Cancer Prevention & Five Hours Per Week Of Exercise! New American Cancer Society Prevention Guidelines
Gene Mutations and Breast Cancer
Mutations in the RAD51D gene, which Wade has, or BRCA gene play a significant role in breast cancer risk.
In the case of the RRAD51D gene, the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered advocacy group explains, “women with a RAD51D mutation have about a 20-40 percent lifetime risk for breast cancer with a tendency for triple-negative breast cancer.”
Additionally, women with this type of gene mutation “have about a 10-20 percent lifetime risk for ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer (these three cancers and their risks are related and are often referred to together as ovarian cancer),” the group says.
BRCA on the other hand, is two genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). According to the National Cancer Institute, BRCA1 (BReast CAncer gene 1) and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer gene 2) are genes that produce proteins that work to repair damaged DNA. The BRCA genes are sometimes referred to as tumor suppressor genes since changes, or mutations, in these genes can lead to cancer.
Everyone is born with two copies of each of the BRCA genes, one inherited from each parent. If either parent carries a BRCA gene mutation, there’s a 50-50 chance the child will carry it as well.
When BRCA1 or BRCA2 have certain mutations, or changes, men and women are at a higher risk level for several cancers, most notably breast and ovarian cancer in women.
According to the National Cancer Institute, 55 to 72% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 variant will get breast cancer by the time they reach 70 to 80 years old. Similarly, 45 to 69% of women who inherit a harmful BRCA2 variant will get breast cancer by that same age.
The percentage of women in the general population who will get breast cancer in their lifetime is about 13 percent.
“If a woman has one of these mutations the genetic BRCA1 and [BRCA]2 mutations, it puts her at basically the highest quantifiable risk for getting breast cancer,” Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist at Mount Sinai, told SurvivorNet. “We typically say between the 60 and 80% range.”
When Cancer Runs in the Family: Survivor Amy Armstrong on the Importance of Genetic Testing
If you have a family history of cancer, like Morgan Wade, genetic testing can help you determine if you have harmful genetic mutations that increase your risk of developing certain cancers. Ask your doctor if genetic testing is right for you.
Dr. Port explained, “We now feel that casting a wider net with genetic testing is probably very prudent because finding out that one has a cancer predisposition gene can definitely change their course, their risk for cancer and what they might want to do about it.”
When to Consider Preventative Surgery
People who have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer may want genetic testing, especially if they have one or more relative(s) who received their diagnosis before age 50. But what do you do if you are at an increased risk for breast cancer because of a BRCA or RAD51D mutations?
Dr. Freya Schnabel, the director of breast surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, explained there are three options.
“The first option is intensive surveillance,” Dr. Schnabel told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview. “And this is an option that focuses on early detection of disease if it should occur.”
The second option comes in the form of medication to lower the risk of getting breast cancer.
“Tamoxifen is the one we use in young women, and then aromatase inhibitors can also be used in post-menopausal women, that have been associated with lowered risk for developing hormone sensitive breast cancer,” Dr. Schnabel said. “So these medications have to be taken for five years, but have a meaningful reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer, especially for BRCA2 carriers.”
Is a Preventative Mastectomy Right for Me?
Prophylactic (preventative) surgery is the third option. “This is the option that will lower a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer as low as we can get it, because the strategy here is to do surgery to remove the breast tissue as completely as we can,” Dr. Schnabel explained.
She continued, “When these operations are done prophylactically, certainly, no muscles are removed. And, in addition, there is no necessity to remove any lymph nodes, so that we take away some of the side effects and risks that are associated with that piece of the surgery. By newer surgical techniques, patients having prophylactic mastectomies will frequently have the option for having the surgery done in a way that preserves the nipple and areola.”
According to Dr. Elisa Port, preventative mastectomies are “really quite effective if done thoroughly.” She says they reduce the risk of developing breast cancer from the highest risk level of 80 to 90% down to the lowest risk level of 1 or 2%.
That being said, there are risks to consider.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a prophylactic mastectomy has the risk of bleeding, infection, loss of sensation in the breast and dissatisfaction with your appearance post-surgery.
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Because of this, it’s important to weigh the benefits with the risks with your doctor. If you discover you have a gene mutation, your doctor can help you understand your unique circumstances and what options may be best for you.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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